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Biology 20 flashcards ~10 min

Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering

Genetic engineering and biotechnology have become one of the fastest-growing areas of modern biology, and this deck of 20 flashcards is designed to make the core techniques stick before your exam. You'll cover the lab methods that make modern genetics possible...

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Genetic engineering and biotechnology have become one of the fastest-growing areas of modern biology, and this deck of 20 flashcards is designed to make the core techniques stick before your exam. You'll cover the lab methods that make modern genetics possible — PCR amplification, gel electrophoresis, restriction enzymes and recombinant DNA — before moving into CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, gene therapy and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The deck also explains cloning and somatic cell nuclear transfer (including the Dolly the sheep experiment), stem cell types, and the Human Genome Project, finishing with a card on the ethical debates surrounding genetic engineering. Whether you're studying for A-Level or AP Biology, or just want to understand headlines about gene editing and GMOs, these flashcards break down complex lab techniques into clear, testable definitions using spaced repetition and active recall.

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The use of living organisms or their components to develop products and technologies for practical purposes.
Polymerase Chain Reaction — amplifies a specific DNA segment into millions of copies using repeated heating/cooling cycles and DNA polymerase.
Denaturation (separating DNA strands by heating), annealing (primers bind), and extension (DNA polymerase builds new strands).
Separating DNA fragments by size using an electric current through a gel matrix; smaller fragments travel further.
DNA formed by combining genetic material from two different sources, often used to insert a gene of interest into a host organism.
An enzyme that cuts DNA at specific recognition sequences, used to isolate genes and prepare DNA for genetic engineering.
A small circular piece of bacterial DNA, often used as a vector to carry and insert foreign genes into a host cell.
A gene-editing technology using a guide RNA to direct the Cas9 enzyme to cut DNA at a precise location, enabling targeted edits.
Introducing, altering or removing genetic material within a patient's cells to treat or prevent disease.
An organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques, often to introduce a desirable trait.
Herbicide resistance or pest resistance (e.g. Bt corn, which produces its own insecticidal protein).
Producing a genetically identical copy of an organism; Dolly was created via somatic cell nuclear transfer.
Removing the nucleus from an egg cell and replacing it with the nucleus from a donor's body (somatic) cell to create a clone.
Undifferentiated cells capable of developing into many different cell types, used in research and regenerative medicine.
Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent (can become almost any cell type); adult stem cells are typically multipotent, limited to specific cell lineages.
Determining the exact order of nucleotide bases (A, T, C, G) in a DNA molecule.
An international effort completed in 2003 that mapped and sequenced the entire human genome.
Testing individuals for specific gene variants associated with inherited diseases or predispositions.
An organism that contains a gene artificially inserted from a different species.
Issues include "designer babies," unequal access to genetic therapies, unintended ecological effects of GMOs, and consent for germline editing.